The Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has taken another step toward revitalising school sports with the successful organisation of a two-day netball seminar for secondary school teachers in Udu Local Government Area.
The training, held at Ovwian Secondary School, Udu, was co-sponsored by the Francis and Fidelia Ibhawoh Foundation and the Community Sports and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative.
It attracted 58 teachers from both government and private schools across Udu LGA, as well as invited participants from Army Day Secondary School, Effurun (Uvwie LGA); College of Commerce, Warri; and Otokutu Secondary School, Otokutu (Ughelli South LGA).
The programme featured both theoretical and practical sessions led by Netball Africa-certified coaches Edema Fuludu, Beauty Obamwonyi, and Onome Fuludu supported by Ruth Opuene, a netball coach with the Bayelsa State Sports Commission. Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of netball, including the game’s seven positions and player roles, basic court marking, and game rules.
One of the major highlights of the training was a special session on safeguarding students and athletes, which emphasised the importance of creating safe environments in school sports. The seminar concluded with a practical match session, as two teams of teachers demonstrated their newly acquired skills on the court.
Chief Inspector of Education for Udu LGA, Samson Ochuko Omosonwhofa, and the Principal of Ovwian Secondary School, Mrs. Ochuko Gere, commended the organisers for introducing the game to the teachers and encouraged participants to integrate netball into their schools’ sports programmes.
Netball, originally designed for girls and women, has evolved into a more inclusive sport, with World Netball now engaging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games organisers to include the sport in future Games.
Presently, netball’s highest competitive platforms include the Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup, the most recent of which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2023.
Once nearly extinct in Nigeria, netball has seen a revival through CSED Initiative’s “Project 2027,” launched in July 2022. The project aims to introduce the game to one million Nigerian school children by training and equipping 1,000 teachers nationwide.
The initiative uses netball as a tool to promote learning, discipline, and Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education among students.
At the close of the Udu seminar, participants received certificates of attendance and free netball equipment—including balls, rims, and whistles.
The event marked a new milestone as the largest single netball teacher training in Nigeria, pushing the total number of trained teachers and coaches under the CSED Initiative to over 500.
Special recognition was given to Omosonwhofa for his pivotal role in mobilising teachers and ensuring the programme’s success.